When her mother fell terminally ill, St. Paul resident Gloria Talbert-Mtero faced a problem. All she wanted was for her husband, Darlington Zavayi-Mtero, to travel from Zimbabwe, where he lives and works, to Minnesota to spend time with his dying mother-in-law. However, when Darlington applied for a nonimmigrant travel visa to the U.S., the U.S. Embassy in Zimbabwe denied the visa because they said Darlington hadn't proven that he did not want to become a U.S. citizen and was only planning on staying in the United States for a short time. Gloria and Darlington worried that bridging the thousands of miles between them was a seemingly insurmountable task, until they called Sen. Franken for help.

Sen. Franken's staff helped Gloria draft a letter to the Embassy clearly explaining the situation and contacted the Embassy's Chief Consul, urging the office to honor the visa request.

Upon further review, the Embassy approved Darlington's visa, and he was able to spend time with his wife and mother-in-law. She passed away recently, but not before telling Gloria to personally thank Senator Franken.

"You have no idea how happy this has made me and my entire family," Gloria said. "My husband and his family also express their most sincere gratitude."

Senator Franken and his office are always available to help Minnesotans with immigration issues and a list of common questions and contact information can be found here.